Mixing-machine



J. W. BRABANT.

MIXING MACHINEI APPLICATION FILED JULY 3.1917.

1,391,454, PatentedSeptl- 1921.

FigI i Im/e nTor JohnWB 0 bclnT bc| ATIe J. W. BRABANT.

MIXING MACHINE;

APPLICATION FILED JULY-3.1911.

1,391,454, Patented Sept. 20, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

dohnWBrcnbo'nT v bq Mel J. W. BRABANT.

MIXING MACHINE. APPLICATION man JULY 3, 1917.

Patented Sept. 20,1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

lnvQnTor JohnWBrobanT bq @6015 To all whom it may concern: 7

UNITED STATES...

PATENT foFFICE.

7 JOHN w. iamnnnor LA cnossn wIscoNsm.

'inxme-mnonmn 'Be, it known that I, J OHN} W. BRABANT, a citizen oi the United States of'America,*re siding at 1311 Kane street, in the city of La Crosse, county of-La Crosse, and Stateof Wisconsin, have invented new and-useful Improvements in Mixing-Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part'hereof.

The invention has reference to mixingmw chines, and'more particularly to that class of mixing machines pertaining to the mix-- ing of concrete for building and other purposes. I g

. The objectof the invention isto provide amixing machine of small'capaeity forthe use of farmers and other light users of concrete, which shall be. thoroughly eflicient in its work, rapid-fin its execution, substantial in construction, and that mayv besold at a price that bringsit within the reach of all small'use'rs of cement mixtures, and thatmay'be easily run by hand or small powers.

Another object of :theinvention is to' provide an improved mechanism attaching delivery spout that may beswung into the machine to 'rec'eivefand discharge finished.

product, and. swung away to carry the inner end of the spout completely out of the path" or" the mixing material while the mixing process is going'on'.

While large cement mixing machines have been eflicient in their work, they could not be used to advantage when a small amount of workis to be done, and the necessary'price has made them prohibitive for small users of concrete, and I have, found that it'they were produced infacsimile on a small scale, .they would lose their efficiency, and the material passing through the machine would clog by reason of the closeness of the split-- ting and mixing blades. As usually constructed they have been provided with a copied on a small scale, I have foundthat the number of blades around the circumfer= ence of the cylinder are so near together that tho'material being worked by one blade is inevitably thrown upon the material on the Specification ofLettersiatenty at te mpmm;

Application file'diuly a, 1917} seriarno. 178,498. I I

material becomes clogged, the work imper- V feetly done and much impeded, and the machlne itself has been found to require more power. on Reducing :the comparative sizes of the blades has not overcome the 'difliculty. To overcome this inherent difliculty, I found by continued experiment, wasonly possible by reducing the number ofblade's, and lim- 7 iting the receiving and splitting blades to a pair, placedoppositely on the interior wall of'the cylinder; In practice I have found that each ofthese bladesencounters and comner, without throwin'giiany of the material over onto the opposite blade, and that, in

connection with the other improvements involved in my invention, the mixing is thoroughly and rapidly accomplished, and to a degree not heretofore secured in any small power orhand machine.

Figure l of the drawings shows a rear elevation ofthe machine; Fig. 1 is a front view of the cylinder showing the orifice for receiving the material to be mixed; Fig. 2 1s asideelevation; Fig-3 is view of the in-' teri'or of the cylinder, showing the discharge cups at thenearfend and thereceiving or V splitting blades at the faren'd, the ends of the. cylinder being omitted; Fig. 4 is'lan' interlor view of the cylinder showing the splitt ng blades at the near end and the discylinde'r being omitted. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the interior ofthe' cylinder looking downward, showingthe longitudinal overlapping relation of the splitting and thedischarge cups at the far'end, the ends of the charge'blades; Fig. 6 is a detail showing the swinging mechanism for the discharge spout,

and a portion ofthe cylinder, a portion of the near supporting post being cut away and only one of the blades in the cylinder being shown; Fig. 7 isadetail plan view of one of the splitting blades looking from the center toward the periphery of the cylinder; Fig. 8

is asideelevation' of a splitting blade; Fig. view of a g1m1lar'blade, s'how1ng ltS.

9 is a lower edge to be elevated from the wall of the cylinder; Fig. 10 is a planof' a discharge cup; F 11 is aside elevation of the same cup, showing its inner end elevated away from the wall of the cylinder; Fig. '12 is a detail showing the application of power to rotate'the cylinder; Fig. 13 is a diagram showing the changing positions the blades assume as they move from thelr lowest position upwardly in a circular line.

In the drawings, A indicates the front and C a side elevation'of a frame, which maybe of any approved construction, but which, as shownis built ofsteel posts l-'-1 at the rear corners and 2 atthe front corners, that end of the machine that receives thematerial being called the front; these posts may be connected togetherat top and" bottom as I ,desired and diagonally braced in a suitable 7 bar. i

' Upon the rear bar 3 as.shown.1n F g, 1, a rectangular frame-B 1S erected, consisting 2D- with thefianges 11' and 12 projecting beyond manner. At the rear of theframe,as shown in Fig. 1, a cross bar 3 is placed intermedi ate the ends of theposts, and across the front of theiframe is laced acorresponding cross of the upright posts 4- and 5 suitablyitied'by a crossbar 6 at the topand 6 near the bot tom above the bar '8 to give proper r1g1d1ty.

Extending from front tolrearof the frameon, eachisi'de of the frame are'the respective shafts 7 and8 having bearings in boxes 9 rest ng upon the respective cross bars. 3.

Toward each end of each shaft-are placedbearing wheels 10 havingfiangesas shown, and bearing 11113011. the wheels within the flanges is alarge'drum orcylinder D forming thebody of the mixer, and provided the periphery of the cylinder for support and rotation upon the wheels 10'.. Upon the front face of the flange 12 is formed, a' rack wheel12 .asshown more distinctly in Fig." 12.. Thefront and rear ends of the cylinder are aperture'd with annular openings 11 and +12? for receiving and discharging material.

U ponthe rear end ofoneside ofthe frame. is placed a bearing b01113, which carriesa shaft 14, upon the inner end of which is fixed a gear pinion- 15, placed in gear with Vtherackwheel" 12 of the cylinder, whereby rotative motion is given to the cylinder;

, Upon the.oppositeend of the shaft is fixed a belt pulley 16, and near the periphery of .the pulley is attached a handle 17'; with the pulley and handle the machine maybe run eitherwith power orby" hand. I

1 Straps 1818are pivoted upon the posts 4 and 5 at 18 u on the lower endsof which so that theouter end willnormally' drop, as

at 118' is hung" a discharge spout 19, its piV- otalattachment with the straps being placed somewhat toward the inner end of the spout shown in full lines in Fig. 6. Toward the outer. end. of. the spout is attached. a hang up hookQOQadapted for hanging over the top of the gfraine B tohold the spout up' when it is swung out ofthe cylinder while mixing is going on; In Fig.6, the full lines show the outer end of the spout in lowered posi tionfthe inner end beingquite a distance within the cylinder in position to receive from the rear or'discharge cups material that is ready for. discharge; the dotted lines v a I show the spout swung up out of the way and hung up by the hang up hook, its inner end i being practically in line with the rear wall ofthe cylinder, and entirely removed from interference with the .mixing of the material within the cylinder. It will be noticed that the spout is not hung :upon a fixed pivot on the frame, as has heretofore been the practice, but upon the ends of the'pivoted straps 18, and that as the inner end of "the spout 7 leaves theinterior of the cylinder, it is swung outward bodily --with respect to the upon the innerwall of the cylinder at its.

receiving end, two diametricallyoppositely located blades 21 and 22, which are held 'bysuitable lug members 23 and 24.' In Figs.

7, 8,9, 10an'd11, the dottedlines 25 representthelongitudinal line of-the inner wall 'of the cylinder. 1).. 'In Fig. -7I have shown a plan view of these blades, which are in. -them-Selves alike. These blades I call split-E It will be-seen that 7 these ting I 'lades. blades are located alike-at the end of the cylinder, having: an upwardor forward curve, withyrespect to thedirection of 1110- tion:;;(21 and that this curvedportionwis pla ccd' close by the end of the cylindenand upon the opposite or, inner end of the blade is formed" a"reversed-curve 21". As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, these' spllttmg blades are placed diagonally along the mterior wall of the cylinder, from the rear end to beyond the Fig. 18 is-a dragiZIm ShOWIHg the changing center thereof.

position with respect to the verticalassumed by the blades as the cylinder rotates upwardly to the left, in the diagram. These v. blades pro ect on a' radial linefrom the wall of the cylinder toward the axisofthe same,

and in the lowest position they stand verti-L wardly, they assume anangular relation to a- I horizontal line, forming a-sort of cup, the pointed andforwardly curved shape of the blades entering and splitting or dividing the material in a noveland very efi'eetivemam ner as shown in-position Z2, carrying mablade itself has become horizontal. Between positions c 2111C 0 material will beginto pour over the top sidewise, being more-or less mixed in so doing, and by the timethe cally as shown'in position a; as'the cylinder moves around and the blades moveup r terialjupward therein; in position Fc the blade has reached positions d or e the material has either poured entirely off the blade to the wall of the cylinderbelow, or

V discharged longitudinall into the receiving cups 26. a, a and 0 represent blades 21, that are placed in close contact with the wall of'the cylinder, but 'b and d represent blade 22, that is raised somewhat from the wall of the cylinder, as shown in Figs,- 4 and 9. This elevated splitting blade 22 not only raises material the same as blade 21 but permits it to divide somewhat, "and a part of it to split and How beneath the blade with the effect of further splitting and 'dividin'g the mass for its more-complete mix ture; but it, also, will permit material to pour over the top, and is completel emptied by-the time it has reached the pos1tionsd or e. l

' At the farther or discharge end of the -cylinder I have "placed on its wallfour shorter and differently shapedblades, 26, all alike and equally spaced circumferentially, and so arranged as to receive from the ends" of the v blades 21 and 22- material that may flow obliquely downward from them. These blades point a little, in the'dire'ction of move ment; from a radial line'so as to carry'material sufiiciently high, to easily discharge into the discharge spout when it is within the drum. At their outer ends they are formed with curves 2 6 turned away from the direction of movement. .Fig. 10 shows the edge of a blade substantially in plan, from which it will be seen that it is longitudinally incup shape, and preventsmaterial from runningoutat'the outer end; but

it, also, in ascending from the'lowest 'posi*- tion upwardly is transversely in the form of a cup, and raises material within such cup until it becomes emptied transversely.

- 1 In Fig. 11, showing the blade 26, the curve of the bottom of the bladefrom the" point 26 to the point 26, follows. the curve of the wall of'the cylinder, but from point 26, 111'- ward to point 26 it is cut away to a straight line, leaving an angular opening between the blade and the wall of the cylinder, the pure 1 pose of which will appear later.

In Fig. 5a W111 be noted that theinner I ends of the blades 21 and 26 longitudinally overlap, and that transversely they are not placed line with each others From Figs. 3 and 1 it will be seen that there are four blades 26, equallyspaced and only two of the blades 21 and 22, an-d the blades 21 and 22 are longitudinally out of line with all of the blades 26. Viewed fromthe rear the cylinder moves in clockwise direction from the bottom upwardly tothe left. The curve 21 of the blade 21 encountering the material that is thrown into the cylinder, plows into it with an upward leftward stroke. The height of the blade is not equal to the depth of the 'material placed in the This below the end of the blade 21.

'curve'21" of the blade very much assists in unmixed material the blade lifts as it plows into it, by reason of the cup-like assumption of theblade, as described, and as the blade rises material beginsto flowlaterally over the top, while at the same time, because of the diagonal arrangement of the blade onv the wall-of the cylinder, some of it begins to slide longitudinally down the blade and emptyiinto the cup blade 26 that will be: rising on the same side of the cylinder, but The reverse the longitudinal discharge of material into the cup blades 26. By the time the blade reaches the positions d? or .e'sh0wn in Fig. 13, the blade will be completely emptied, and the material lifted and mixed by it will be entirely caredfor beforethe blade 22 reaches its bottom position ready toreceive' its load in a similarmannerr But, inasmuch 'as blade 22 5mm away from the Wall'of the -cylin'der,' as it rises, some of the material will slide ,backwardly beneath it cylinder (see Fig..11),'they'are also'plow' ing' through such material, aiding very ma-.

terially, and in an entirely newway', to the The overlapping of the inner ends of blades- 21 and 22, also throws material into thepath of the inner ends of the blades 26,insuring further and better mixing thereby.

.During all of themixing process so far described-the inner end of the spout 19 has been resting' in the bottom of the opening 12*,"as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6, held thereby by the hook 20, completely out of the way of the mixing material. It will be noticed that the height of the bladesis less than the depth of the ends of the cylinder from the edge of the opening to the cylinder wall, and that the spout rests across the; opening so that during 'the mixing process none of the material canescape; When the material is thoroughly mixed, which usually occurs withinabout ahalf minute 'or in seven revolutions of the cylinder (I find that a speedof fourteen revolutions perinin ute'is amply suflicient) the operator lifts the hook 20 from the top of the frame B, permitting the spout 19 to swingdownwardly and inwardly'as'to its outer end, the inner efficiency of the general mixing process.

end swinging inwardly and upwardly as.

7 shown in full lines in Fig. 6, when as the ascending cup blades 26 begin to empty their contents, it; will fall into the sloped spout and be discharged outside of the cylinder'to wvhatever receptacleis placed to receive it.

The blade 22, standing above the wall of the cylinder, permits some of the material to slide beneath it; but the blade 21, standing in-close contact with the wall, lifts all of the cup blades 26, and as then all of'the cups are discharging into the spout it will all be promptlydischarged from the machine. As

stated, I have found, and that repeatedly and continuaily,fth at about seven revolutions of the cylinder, by my novel form and arrangement of blades as above described, will make a most perfect mixture of material .terial, means for rotating the drum, and. means within the drum for mlxing material forming a concrete. rangementI' have therefore not only secured I agreatly improved product," but have also very materially shortened thetime in which SUCCESSfIllWOI'kllZtS heretofore been accomplished; and by reducing the number of bladesreceiving the'material to two, I have completely avoided. the interfering of one part of the material being mixed, with another part that is in the same batch, in the 'machine, and all of the consequent clogging thereby, its imperfect mixture, and, heavier draft on the machine.

It is manifest that considerable latitude in the form of vconstruction may be made without, departing, from the spirit ofmy in i I I V the wall, the rear portion of the blade being Having now described. my invention, what vention.

Iclaimisz e tive ends for receiving and discharging matherein, comprising a: plurality of blades secured to the horizontal wall of the drum,

each, having a forward longitudinally curvedportionadjacent the receiving aper ture adapted to give quick impetus to the.

material which it contacts, in a longitudinal direction, a succeedingportion of less curve adapted'to relatively restrict the ;movement ofvthe materiahand an inner longitudinally depending dischargeportion adapted to permitof 'quickened delivery therefrom, and means for discharging drum. r

2. In a mixing machine, the combination of asupportingframe, a cylindrical mixing drum mounted :to turn circumferentially on the frame, and having end walls, with cen- Byamy improved ar- ,lgIn a mixing machine, the combination of a supporting frame, a horizontal mixing drum rotatively mounted thereon and having centrally placed, apertures in the respecmaterial from the trally placed annular apertures in the ends portion with one end placed close tothere- I ceiving aperture, said end being sharply curved forwardly in the direction of; movement of the drum adapted to give a quick t ered thereby, and means for discharging material. from the drum,

3. In a'mixing machine, thefcombination.

of a supportingframe, astraight cylindrical mixing drum. horizontally mounted to 'turn circumferentially on the frame, and

having end walls with centrally placed annular apertures in the respective ends for receiving and discharging material, means- 75. Y longitudinal j impetus to material encounfor rotating the. drum, a receiving and splitv ting blade fixedtoand projecting angularly from the interior circumferential wall i of I the drumhavingjone end adjacentv the receiving aperture, said end being longitudinally curved forwardly in the direction of move- V ment of the drum and the opposite end,

curved in the opposite direction, and means for dlscharging materialfrom the drum.

'In a mixing machine, the combination of a supporting frame, a cylindrical mixing,

drum, mounted to'turn circumferentiallyron thefframe, and having endfwalls, with aperturesin the ends for receiving and discharging material, means within the drum for discharging material comprising ablade like on attached to; the drum at the discharge en thereofand projecting angularly from in close contiguity with the circumferential from, and means for rotatingthe drum,

5. In a mixing machine, the combination of a supporting frame, a-cyl1ndr1cal mlxing i drum having end walls mounted'to turn cirin contact thereby, the inner ends of-the blade and .the cup overlapping longitudi-e nally whereby the blade. will laterally discharge material uponthe splitting end of the cup. Y

of asupporting frame, a cylindrical mixing drum having endjwalls mounted to turn ciri cumferentially on: the frame, means for rotating the drum, the ends-having apertures Iii-a mixing machine, the" combination 105 wall'and the innerendfbeing elevated-there V r for receiving and dischargingmaterial, means within the drum for splitting and mixing material therein comprising a receiving blade at the receiving end of the drum projecting longitudinally therein and a discharge cup atthe discharge end of the drum projecting longitudinally into the drum and placed circumferentially behind the receiving blade, one end thereof being elevated and formed to split and mix material encounteredthereby, the inner ends of the receiving blade and the cup overlapping, whereby the re ceiving blade will discharge material longitudinally into the cup and transversely upon the splitting and mixing end of the cup.

7. In a mixing machine, the combination of a supporting frame, a mixing drum rotatively mounted on the frame and having an aperture for receiving material therein, means for rotating the drum, and means within the drum for mixing such material comprising blades secured to the drum each having a pointed and forwardly curved end for entering and dividing the material fed into the drum.

JOHN W. BRABANT. 

